Visiting Area 50 - We are gifted!

It's becoming real these days that we are leaving here soon.  Last visits and lots of goodbyes!  Today's visit was with Area 50.  Due to last week's holiday, this was only our second visit with them.  You may remember that this is the group that I danced (or tried to dance) with in the first week.

As you can see, they had been hard at work.  When we got there, they had already arranged all the goods and put pricing signs on the piles.  So organized!  When we buy, the process is like this: we have a budget for purchasing and we select items that we know or think will sell in the US,  then we tally the total and reassess if we're over or under.  The group is very quiet watching these deliberations as they don't know what the amount is and they don't know which items will be selected.  Sometimes, we have feedback for them about colors, or sizes.  

Once we're done, there's a palpable sense of relief and joy.  It's quite a sizable amount of money by Malawi standards and it helps to sustain the circle of production and sales.  After we selected the purchases for Knit Around the World, I purchased a child's hat that I just loved.  And, of course, Kelly had to model it.

As we got up to leave and wait outside for the driver to return, the group presented up with gifts!  They had asked us what our favorite colors were at our first meeting and said they wanted to give us something.  I had forgotten this so I was a little surprised.  They presented us with chitenje - a traditional wrap that Malawian women wrap around their waist over their skirt or pants.  Kelly's is orange (of course!) and mine is blue.  Here we are modeling them.  You can tell I am not very good at the wrapping thing, haha.

And here is one of my favorite views of Kelly.  As we were waiting for the driver, we all sit down and the women and Kelly start knitting and doing other work.  It's quite the serene picture.

Out last visit is tomorrow!  And a bit more souvenir shopping and on the long way home on Saturday!